Social Studies PYQs

Learning is a continuous process which results in a permanent change in behaviour.

• Learning is the acquisition of new behaviour or the strengthening or weakening of old behaviour as a result of experience.
• It represents progressive changes in behaviour.

Project Work-Based Learning gives a thorough practical exposure to a problem upon which the project is based.

• Projects are developed generally in groups where students can learn various things such as working together, problem-solving, decision making, and investigating activities.
• Project work is important because it includes learning by and doing, and learning by doing is more lasting learning.
• So it can be known as group project-based learning.
• Learning by doing emphasizes that reality must be experienced and students must interact with their environment in order to adapt and learn.
• It promotes self-learning and self-assessment and gives a real experience in solving real-life problems.

Hence, it becomes clear that project work is important, because learning by doing is more lasting learning.

Social Science as a discipline has the unique capability of being able to look at both developmental and normative issues of society. It includes disciplines of History, Geography, Political Science, Economics, and Sociology.

Key Points India is a pluralistic society, Plurality is a reality and we make sure that our state shall be secular or in other words, have equal respect for all faiths or religions.

Social Science Textbook:

• The textbook should help in achieving the purpose of learning social science.
• The textbook should have a clear and self-explanatory arrangement.
• The textbooks of social science should include and represent all religions and social groups.
• It should consist of both visualization and motion and makes the child familiar with the issues by raising them in an attractive way.

Hence, it becomes clear that textbooks of social science should include and represent all religions and social groups.

The correct answer is First sermon.

• The first sermon of Buddha is symbolized by the wheel in Indian Art.
• The first sermon is also called Dharma Chakra Pravartana or the Turning of the Wheel of Law.
• He gave the sermon to his first five ascetic disciples at the Deer Park(Sarnath) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points

• Buddha was born in Lumbini.
• Buddha attained Enlightenment(Nirvana) beneath the Bodhi tree at Bodha Gaya.
• The full enlightenment attributed to buddhas is known as samyaksaṃbodhi.
• Kushinagar is known for the Mahaparinirvana (death) of Lord Buddha.

Additional Information 

• Mahayana Buddhism:
• After the death of Buddha, a group evolved who believed that compassion for all humanity was an important part of the path, and that teaching is fully available to all.
• Those who followed the newly expanded ideals called themselves Mahayana meaning the big raft.
• In Mahayana Buddhism, all practicing Buddhists are apprentice Bodhisattvas.
• In Mahayana countries, images of the Buddha are set up in the temples and homes as an object of worship.
• Hinayana Buddhism:
• From about 100 years after the death of the Buddha, there had been a movement towards embracing the style of Buddhism.
• The early monks concentrated on personal enlightenment, seeking spiritual answers for themselves, and teaching others the way of enlightenment.
• But the information was severely limited to the lay community as it was assumed only minks could achieve Buddhahood.
• This section came to be known as Hinayana or also known as Theravada.
• Theravada means the way of elders.
• Milindapanha:
• The Milindapanha, or "Milinda's Questions," is an important early Buddhist text that usually is not included in the Pali Canon.
• Even so, the Milindapanha is cherished because it addresses many of Buddhism's most difficult doctrines with wit and clarity.
• The Milindapanha presents a dialogue between King Menander I (Milinda in Pali) and an enlightened Buddhist monk named Nagasena.
• Menander- I was an Indo-Greek king thought to have ruled from about 160 to 130 BCE.
• He was a king of Bactria, an ancient kingdom that took in what is now Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, plus a small part of Pakistan.

The correct answer is Ashoka.

Important Points The inscription on the pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka in 249 BC testifies that the Lord Buddha was born in 623 BC in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal.

• Lumbini contains important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from as early as the 3^rd century BC.
• Lumbini is located in the Kapilavastu district of Nepal. Buddha was born in Lumbini.

Additional Information

• Ashoka renounced war and converted to Buddhism. He promoted the concept of dhamma (pious social conduct).
• Bodhgaya in Bihar is known for the place of enlightenment of Buddha.
• Buddha delivered his first sermon in Sarnath.
• Buddha achieved nirvana in Kushinagar of Uttar Pradesh
• Mahayana Buddhism:
• After the death of Buddha, a group evolved who believed that compassion for all humanity was an important part of the path, and that teaching is fully available to all.
• Those who followed the newly expanded ideals called themselves Mahayana meaning the big raft.
• In Mahayana Buddhism, all practicing Buddhists are apprentice Bodhisattvas.
• In Mahayana countries, images of the Buddha are set up in the temples and homes as an object of worship.
• Hinayana Buddhism:
• From about 100 years after the death of the Buddha, there had been a movement towards embracing the style of Buddhism.
• The early monks concentrated on personal enlightenment, seeking spiritual answers for themselves, and teaching others the way of enlightenment.
• But the information was severely limited to the lay community as it was assumed only minks could achieve Buddhahood.
• This section came to be known as Hinayana or also known as Theravada.
• Theravada means the way of elders.
• Milindapanha:
• The Milindapanha, or "Milinda's Questions," is an important early Buddhist text that usually is not included in the Pali Canon.
• Even so, the Milindapanha is cherished because it addresses many of Buddhism's most difficult doctrines with wit and clarity.
• The Milindapanha presents a dialogue between King Menander I (Milinda in Pali) and an enlightened Buddhist monk named Nagasena.
• Menander- I was an Indo-Greek king thought to have ruled from about 160 to 130 BCE.
• He was a king of Bactria, an ancient kingdom that took in what is now Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, plus a small part of Pakistan.

The correct answer is Bhimbetka.

Key PointsBhimbetka

• It is famous for prehistoric paintings.
• The rock shelters of Bhimbetka are in the foothills of the Vindhyan Mountains on the southern edge of the central Indian plateau.
• The paintings appear to date from the Mesolithic Period right through to the historical period.
• The cave consists of seven hills and over 750 rock shelters distributed over 10 km.
• Bhimbetka cave is closely associated with a hunting and gathering economy as demonstrated in the rock art.
• It shows how themes such as animals, early evidence of dance, and hunting.
• It was declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2003.
• The site is in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh.

Additional Information

• Sanchi and Amrawati are famous for Stupa.

The correct answer is Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

Important Points Atmiya Sabha:

• Atmiya Sabha was founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy in 1815 in Kolkata.
• The association was a philosophical discussion circle in India.
• They used to conduct debate and discussion sessions on philosophical topics, and also used to promote free and collective thinking and social reform.
• The foundation of Atmiya Sabha in 1815 is considered as the beginning of the modern age in Kolkata.

Additional Information

• The main activity of the Sabha was conducting discussion and debate sessions on monotheistic Hindu Vedantism and similar subjects.
• Weekly meetings used to be conducted in Ram Mohan Roy's garden-house in Maniktala.
• Most of these gatherings were informal and only a handful of Bengali intellects used to attend these meetings.
• It was not a formal organization, and there was not any membership registration procedure.
• However, the association intended to promote free and collective thinking.
• They also challenged and denounced orthodox religions.

During the Delhi Durbar on 12 December 1911, George V, the then ruling Emperor of India, along with Queen Mary, announced that the capital of India would be shifted from Kolkata to Delhi.

• Lord Hardinge II (1910-1916): In his reign, the capital of British India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, the actual transfer of capital in 1912.

Additional Information

• ​Lord Curzon- 
• He did the Partition of Bengal in the year 1905.
• He introduced the Indian Universities Act in 1904.

Akbar II had sent Raja Ram Mohan Roy as his envoy to London.

• Akbar had little de-facto power due to the increasing British control of India through the East India Company.
• Shortly before his death, he sent Ram Mohan Roy as an ambassador to Britain.
• During his regime, in 1835, the East India Company (EIC) discontinued calling itself subject of the Mughal Emperor and issuing coins in his name.
• The Persian lines in the company's coins to this effect were deleted.
• Ram Mohan Roy then visited England, to the Court of St. James.
• Ram Mohan Roy submitted a well-argued memorial on behalf of the Mughal ruler, but to no avail.

 ​Hence, the correct answer is Akbar II.

The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 legalize the remarriage of Hindu widows on 16^th July 1856.

Key Points

• The Hindu widow remarriage act was drafted during the tenure of Lord Dalhousie.

The act was passed by Lord Canning in 1856.

The remarriage of Hindu widows was first legalized by Lord Canning.

• This act also provided all the rights and inheritances to all the windows that they have had at the time of her first marriage.
• The enactment of The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act, 1856 was a major social reform to improve the condition of the widow in India.
• Before this law, the custom of Sati was also abolished by the Lord William Bentinck in 1829

The correct answer is Akbar.

Key Points

When the East India Company was established, India was ruled by the Mughal emperor Akbar. (1556-1605)

• On 31 December 1600, a group of merchants who had incorporated themselves into the East India Company was given monopoly privileges on all trade with the East Indies.
• The Company’s ships first arrived in India, at the port of Surat, in 1608.
• Sir Thomas Roe reached the court of the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, as the emissary of King James I in 1615, and gained for the British the right to establish a factory at Surat.

Mistake Points

• The English East India Company was incorporated by royal charter on December 31, 1600.
• Here establishment of the Company is asked not the factory.
• In 1600, a group of London merchants led by Sir Thomas Smythe petitioned Queen Elizabeth I to grant them a royal charter to trade with the countries of the eastern hemisphere. And so, the ‘Honourable Company of Merchants of London Trading with the East Indies’ – or East India Company, as it came to be known – was founded.
• At the same time as Elizabeth I was signing the East India Company (EIC) into existence in 1600, her counterpart in India – the Mughal emperor Akbar – was ruling over an empire of 750,000 square miles, stretching from northern Afghanistan in the northwest, to central India’s Deccan plateau in the south and the Assamese highlands in the northeast.
• By 1600, the Mughal empire (founded by Akbar’s grandfather, Babur, in 1526) had come of age and was embarking on a century of strong centralised power, military dominance and cultural productiveness that would mark the rule of the ‘Great Mughals’.
• However, Sir Thomas Roe reached the court of the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, as the emissary of King James I in 1615, and gained the British the right to establish a factory at Surat.

Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya is also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin, and Mahbub-e-Ilahi was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, and is one of the most famous Sufis from the Indian Subcontinent.

 

• Baba Fariduddin Ganj-e-Shakar, who popularly known as Baba Farid, was a disciple of Qutbuddin Bhaktiyar Kaki after whom the Qutab Minar is named.
• He moved to Ajodhan in Punjab where he built a Jamaat Khana.
• His three disciples founded sub-silsilahs: 
• Nizamiyya order by Nizamuddin Auliya
• Jamaliyya order by Jamaluddin Hanovi
• Sabaria order of Alauddin Sabin

Thus, it is clear that Sheikha Nizamuddin Aulia was a disciple of the Baba Fariduddin Ganj-e-Shakar.

Additional Information

Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya:

• His predecessors were Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, and Moinuddin Chishti, who were the masters of the Chishti spiritual chain or silsila in the Indian subcontinent.
• Nizamuddin Auliya, like his predecessors, stressed love as a means of realising God.
• For him, his love of God implied a love of humanity.
• His vision of the world was marked by a highly evolved sense of religious pluralism and kindness.

Qalandar is a title given to a saint who is at a very high level of spirituality. They are different from other saints and have very strong feelings of love for God's creation.

• Babur, an Afghan ruler, established the Mughal empire in India by defeating Ibrahim Lodi at the Battle of Panipat in the year 1526.
• Babur was known for his honesty.
• The generosity of the Babur to distribute the gems, gold, or silver towards their people of Kabul and their subjects gave him the title of Qalandra/ Kalander.​
• Babur wrote his autobiography 'Tuzk-e-Babri' in the Turkish Language.

Hence, the correct answer is Babar.

Additional Information

Mughals:

• The Mughals were descendants of two great lineages of rulers.
• From their mother’s side, they were descendants of Genghis Khan (died 1227), the Mongol ruler who ruled over parts of China and Central Asia.
• From their father’s side, they were the successors of Timur (died 1404), the ruler of Iran, Iraq and modern-day Turkey.
• However, the Mughals did not like to be called Mughal or Mongol. This was because Genghis Khan’s memory was associated with the massacre of innumerable people.
• It was also linked with the Uzbeks, their Mongol competitors.
• On the other hand, the Mughals were proud of their Timurid ancestry, not least of all because their great ancestor had captured Delhi in 1398.

Nagaland reported negative growth in their population according to Census 2011.

• Nagaland was the only state in the country to record a negative growth in population minus 0.47% decadal population growth in the Census 2011.
• India’s total population stands at 1.21 billion, which is 17.7 per cent more than the last decade.
• There was an increase of 90.97 million males and increase of 90.99 million females.
• Highest decadal growth in population has been recorded in Bihar (25.4 per cent).

Hence the correct option is Nagaland.

Explanation:

• Musi river or Musinuru is a tributary of the Krishna River in the Deccan Plateau flowing through the state of Telangana.
• Hyderabad is in the banks of the River Musi.
• Musi river divides the historic old city and the new city of Hyderabad.
• Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar Dam is built across the Musi river used to supply city water needs.
• Hyderabad is also known as city of Pearls.
• Char Minar is located on the banks of River Musi in Hyderabad.
• The landmark has become a global icon of Hyderabad, listed among the most recognized structures of India

Important Points

Some important Indian towns located on the river bank are as follows:

Coal is a sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds.

• Coal is a fossil fuel that forms when dead plant matter is converted into peat, which in turn is converted into lignite, bituminous, and anthracite.
• There are three major types of sedimentary rocks; Chemical Sedimentary Rocks, Clastic Sedimentary Rocks, and Organic Sedimentary Rocks.
• Chemical Sedimentary Rocks include Gypsum, Rock Salt/Halite, Chert, and Travertine.
• Clastic Sedimentary Rocks include Breccia, Conglomerate, Sandstone, Mudstone, Shale.
• Organic Sedimentary Rocks include Chalk, Coal, and Limestone with Fossils.

Concept:

• Satellite: A satellite is an object that moves around a larger object. But usually when someone says "satellite," they are talking about a "man-made" satellite. Man-made satellites are machines made by people. These machines are launched into space and orbit Earth or another body in space. Ex - Moon, sputnik -1 etc.
• Natural Satellite: A natural satellite is an object that orbits a planet or other body larger than itself and which is not man-made. Ex- Earth has a moon as a natural satellite.

Explanation:

This is the chart of the planet with their natural satellite number-

 

Hence, Venus and Mercury have no satellites of its own.

The correct answer is option 3 i.e Arabian Sea.

• Lakshadweep is the smallest union territory in India.
• The word meaning of Lakshadweep is 'one hundred thousand islands'.
• It is located in the Arabian sea.
• The old name of Lakshadweep was Laccadive.
• Formed on 1^st November 1956.
• Adopted the name Lakshadweep on 1^st November 1973.
• Capital: Kavaratti.
• Former capital: Kozhikode.
• Official Languages: Malayalam, English
• The union territory comes under the jurisdiction of the Kerala High Court at Kochi.
• Maldives is the country nearest to Lakshadweep.
• Agatti Airport is the only airport located in Lakshadweep.

Additional Information

• Islands located in the Indian Ocean are Java island, Diego Garcia, Île Amsterdam, Praslin.
• Islands located in the Pacific Ocean are Rarotonga, Jarvis Island, Majuro, Howland Island.
• Islands located in the Bay of Bengal are Car Nicobar, St. Martin's Island, Sagar Island.

Mediterranean climate is confined to the Western portions of Continental masses between 30 degrees and 45 degrees north and south of the equator.

• The basic cause of the Mediterranean climate is shifting of wind belts.
• Most of the east and northeast margins of the continents are covered by temperate evergreen and deciduous trees.
• The west and south-west margins of the continents are different. They have Mediterranean vegetation.
• It is mostly found in the areas around the Mediterranean sea in Europe, Africa and Asia, hence the name.
• This kind of vegetation is also found outside the actual Mediterranean region in California in the USA, south-west Africa, southwestern South America and Southwest Australia.
• These regions are marked for hot dry summers and mild rainy winters.

Important Points

• Citrus fruits such as oranges, figs, olives and grapes are commonly cultivated here because people have removed the natural vegetation in order to cultivate what they want to.
• Mediterranean trees adapt themselves to dry summers with the help of their thick barks and wax-coated leaves which help them reduce transpiration.
• Mediterranean regions are known as ‘Orchards of the world’ for their fruit cultivation.
• There isn’t much wildlife here.

Hence the correct Option is - Mediterranean Region.

The correct answer is Pamirs.

Key Points

• The word "the roof of the world" has been coined to refer to a region with exceptionally high mountains within Asia.
• The first time the word has been used in recorded history was in reference to the Pamir Mountains, which rise to around 25,095 feet high.
• The Pamir Mountains are within the Gorno-Badakhshan province of Tajikistan.
• John Wood, an explorer well known for his journeys in the area, introduced the word roof of the world to the English language in 1833.

The correct answer is Sahara.

Key Points

• A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs. Hence, the living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life.
• Deserts are primarily formed by weathering processes. The large variations in temperature between day and night put considerable strain on the rocks which consequently break rocks in fragments.
• Please note that out of the given option, the Sahara desert is correct. In fact, Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world and the third-largest desert overall after Antarctica and the Arctic.
• Both Antarctica and the Arctic are cold-deserts.
• Sahara is located on the African continent with an area of 9,200,000 square kilometers. It is located in the horse latitudes under the subtropical ridge.
• The Great Australian desert is the arid interior of Australia.
• The Arabian desert is the desert region of extreme southwestern Asia. It occupies almost the entire Arabian Peninsula. It occupies an area of 2,330,000 square kilometers.
• Gobi desert stretches across large parts of Mongolia and China. The Mongolian Gobi Desert is considered the largest dinosaur fossil reservoir in the world.